As Dorchester became more developed and densely populated, Edward Everett Square and local streets were transformed into important thoroughfares. Men and women traveled by trolley and car into Boston for work, although civic life and shopping continued to be focused near people’s homes and the streets they lived on. Throughout this time there was a strong sense of community life as the immigrant populations of Dorchester settled in certain neighborhoods, with dozens of nationalities living within block of Edward Everett Square. “I was 15 or 16 before I first went to Boston” recalls one resident born during this time period.